The United States of America is more divided than at any time I can remember. We are divided by politics. We are divided by income. We are divided by religion. We are divided by ethnicity.

The current campaigns for the Presidency exemplify this division. Republican frontrunner Donald Trump has used the most divisive political rhetoric I’ve ever heard, and has drawn protests and threats from many different groups, from far-left liberals to far-right conservatives. Other candidates are exploiting Trump’s rhetoric to further divide Americans. It seems that all of the candidates are seeking to divide Americans into “us” versus “them,” although most do it far more subtly than Mr. Trump. From Bernie Sanders, it’s the “have nots” versus the “haves.” From Hillary Clinton, it’s women versus men and the white majority versus racial minorities. From Donald Trump, it’s anyone who disagrees with him versus those who don’t. And, from Ted Cruz, it’s anyone who supports the Democrats or Trump versus conservatism. We have candidates who want to make us into a socialist state, who are being sued for fraud, and who are facing possible FBI indictment. There have been protests, some with violence; threats against candidates’ families; and threats of more violence.

America is a mess. The police have been accused of racially motivated killings. Police officers have been assassinated. Protests are becoming more frequent and more violent. Terrorism and mass murders are becoming common. The average household is becoming poorer, while the rich are becoming richer. Abortion, homosexuality, divorce, pornography, and sex outside marriage are widely accepted, and pedophilia, polygamy, and bestiality are gaining acceptance. Greed and power are considered to be virtues, and caring for others is considered less important than taking care of self.

Who can save America?

Depending on who is asked, the answer varies. Many point to Trump, Sanders, Clinton, Cruz, or Kasich. Others point to third-party candidates from the Libertarian, Green, or other parties. Many point to ideologies, such as conservatism, liberalism, democratic socialism, or libertarianism. Some point to the government; others point to the free enterprise system. Others say that no one can save America, that the decline has become too great ever to overcome.

In order to answer the question of who can save America, we need to look at what made America great in the past, and what changed to cause America to decline.

I contend that what made America great in the past was following Biblical principles, and what has caused its decline has been the rejection of those principles.

The United States was never a “Christian Nation,” whatever that means. We were, however, a nation built on Biblical principles. The Constitution and Bill of Rights were based on the Bible. The vast majority of Americans were Christians, or, at least had a respect for Christianity and Biblical principles. The principles found in the Ten Commandments and Sermon on the Mount were the foundation for American ethics and law. We were never perfect; we allowed slavery, and we tried to exterminate indigenous peoples. However, the opposition to both was led by Christians who decried the practices on Biblical grounds. The concepts of individual responsibility and caring for others were both embraced. And God blessed the United States because of our respect for Him and our commitment to Biblical principles of morality and law.

Americans no longer have this ideological foundation. By and large, Americans have rejected Biblical principles. We no longer accept individual responsibility for our actions, nor do we accept our responsibility to help the less fortunate. God and the Bible are openly mocked; those who hold to Biblical morality are ridiculed and hated. The laws are changing to permit and encourage sexual immorality, greed, and other ungodly practices, while penalizing those who follow Jesus Christ. As in the days of the judges of Israel, everyone does what is “right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6).

Even the Church has largely rejected Biblical principles. We pick and choose those bits of the Bible we like, while ignoring the rest. Most of mainstream Protestantism and Roman Catholicism did this many years ago, but now, even much of Evangelical Christianity is doing the same. The goats are leading the sheep (Matthew 25:31-46); we have become the Laodicean church (Revelation 3:14-22). And God has cursed us (Galatians 1:6-9).

Because we once respected and largely obeyed God, He blessed us; and because we have now rejected what we once knew to be the truth, God has now removed His blessing. America is in decline, because we have rejected that which made us great in the first place – God’s blessing for obedience and respect.

Who can save America? Not Obama, nor Trump, nor Sanders, nor Clinton, nor Cruz or Kasich. No political leader can save us. Only Jesus Christ can save America; and He will not save us unless we repent and turn to Him once more.

10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations.12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.Psalm 33:10-12